


the warlock's house

by TheSpaceCoyote



Series: Huxloween 2019 [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Married Life, Mpreg, Pregnant Armitage Hux, Soft Goth AU, Soft Kylux, Trick or Treating, goth kylo ren, very indulgent AU fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 19:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceCoyote/pseuds/TheSpaceCoyote
Summary: Kylo likes to go all out on Halloween night.Hux isn't used to celebrating this holiday, but marriage and pregnancy have made him a little more open to trying new things and going along with his husband's enthusiastic love for all things spooky.





	the warlock's house

**Author's Note:**

> I started developing a modern AU where Kylo is a soft-hearted goth that loves Halloween and marries Hux after knocking him up. There's really not much plot here, just a cute moment from their shared lives in this AU. Thank you to arkaniis on Tumblr for helping me brainstorm a lot of these ideas! 
> 
> Done (late) for Huxloween Day 8: "Trick or Treating."

This neighborhood is perfect for trick-or-treating. It’s comfortably suburban, not too far from downtown as to lose that cultured, energetic edge, but quiet and walkable and full of nice, if a little too identically constructed houses. But over the month of October the yards and facades of each home in the neighborhood had been transformed and brought to life in the spirit of the season, each given a unique theme and aesthetic in anticipation of tonight, of all the little families that set out, garbed in all kinds of costumes, in search of candy and spooky scares. There isn’t a single house that doesn’t at least have a couple of carved pumpkins sitting in the windows and a full bowl of candy at the door. 

Hux thinks he would’ve liked to live here a lot back when he was a kid, if he’d been allowed to celebrate Halloween with the rest of his peers. 

And though he’s a little old for trick-or-treating now, Hux is happy to sit in his rocking chair on the porch of Kylo’s lavishly decorated house and hand out candy to all those kids fearless enough to brave the horrors of the “Warlock’s House.” He wears a pair of black yoga pants and the freshly laundered pumpkin sweater he’s been sporting for most of the month, its happy jack-o’-lantern face stretched even wider over the large curve of his belly. Around his neck clasps Kylo’s customary bat choker, swiped from the dresser to add a little extra flair to his outfit. His hair is soft and freed of gel, ruffling slightly in the balmy night air. He wears no shoes, his black and orange socks providing his sore toes with plenty of wiggle room. 

On a little side table beside him sits everything Hux needs within reach—a skeleton-themed bowl piled to the brim with colorfully wrapped candies, a glass goblet full of Kylo’s homemade sparkling apple cider, and a couple of pregnancy-approved snacks to prevent Hux from nibbling on too much unhealthy sweets. Which isn’t to say he hasn’t snuck a couple of pieces of candy corn in between waves of trick-or-treaters—he’s only human, after all, and as he’s come to learn, Halloween is hardly a night to hold back on indulgences. 

A plaintive _ meow _ makes Hux look down. Millicent’s eyes flash up at him from her position splayed out amidst the carved pumpkins resting on the porch, festive black and orange sequin collar glimmering in the light from the open front doors. The end of her leash knots around the arm of Hux’s rocking chair, preemptively discouraging any escape attempts. 

“Millie, until you learn not to run off, I’m afraid this is what I have to resort to,” Hux lightly scolds her. Millicent’s tail flicks in obvious annoyance, and she stretches out and flops her head away from him, as if to give Hux the cold shoulder. He tuts. Always the drama queen, she is. 

In contrast, Kylo’s cat Vader sits perched on the back of Hux’s rocking chair, so poised and still Hux wouldn’t be surprised if the trick or treaters thought he was part of the decorations. A sleek black cat with intense golden eyes certainly looks like it’d be at home in a Warlock’s House, after all. 

Though said infamous Warlock, arguably the man of the hour, is busy elsewhere. Specifically, in the backyard, which in recent weeks had been completely transformed just like the rest of the house—albeit in a far more gruesome and gory fashion than the more obviously fake ghouls and bats and tombstones that litter the front yard. 

“It’s a tradition,” Kylo had told Hux when he’d first questioned why him and his gang of similarly dressed goth-buddies were dragging stacks of hay bales, PVC pipes, and crinkly black tarps into the house’s spacious backyard. 

“To make a mess?” Hux had said, hand on his belly as he cast a skeptical eye over the supplies piling up over the patchy grass. Kylo had only chuckled and slid an arm around Hux’s waist, pulling him in until their hips bumped together. 

“It might look like a mess now, but give us a couple of hours, some props, and a gallon or so of fake blood, and you’ll see.” Kylo had winked one dusky black lid at Hux, rubbing his hip as he’d watched one of his friends drag a wooden coffin across the yard. “Just let me and the guys work our magic.”

And Hux has to admit, things had turned out amazing. He’d been given a “lights-on” tour earlier in the day, and even with none of the scares in place he’d still found himself unsettled by the ghoulish environment Kylo and his friends had created. If anyone thinks that the front of the Warlock’s House, with its glowing eyes peering out from the bushes and skeletons in the trees and armies of intricately carved pumpkins littering the lawn and porch was frightening, then they’ll be wise to stay away from the backyard. Periodically, a scream of terror or shock cuts through the spooky playlist playing on the sound system in the living room, telling Hux that this year’s backyard haunted house is just as horrifying as Kylo had wanted. 

So while Hux gets to charm the kids and families with candy in the front of the house, Kylo domain is the backyard, where he delights in scaring the piss out of bold teenagers and adults who’ve drunk a little too much Halloween punch at one of the neighborhood's many dinner parties. Some might protest being stuck with the "boring" job, but considering his current state, Hux feels pretty content to stay far away from the backyard and all its ghoulish decor. It's not that he's afraid, but he thinks he'd wind up pretty useless next to Kylo and his gang. His awkward pregnancy waddle would probably look more funny than terrifying, and spending more than a couple minutes on his feet sounds like _ his _ worst fear come true.

So he's more than happy to spend the night manning the porch and the candy bowl. Best leave scaring to the professionals. 

The fog machine starts up again, hissing as it spews more ghastly clouds into covered walkway leading up to Kylo’s porch. There’s a delightful bouquet of scents in the air Hux would’ve never expected to go well together—the crisp, slightly chemical smell of the fog fluid turning to vapor, the tinge of candles burning inside of the freshly hollowed pumpkins, and the lingering aroma of cooking sugar from the jewel-red candy apples Kylo had made and set in the kitchen to cool earlier on in the evening. He doesn’t know if this is what Halloween usually smells like, but he likes it—it makes him feel almost nostalgic, though he’d never been allowed to celebrate the holiday as a boy. 

Hux takes another sip of cider and sits up as straight as he can in the rocking chair when he hears a couple of voices—one parent, two kids, by the sound of it. Before long, he hears the cackle of one of the motion-activated zombies as it springs out of the bushes, followed by a high pitched yelp. Hux mentally crosses his fingers—that zombie in particular has already claimed some victims tonight, at one point scaring a kid with its slack jaw and popped-out eyeball so badly he broke down crying and refused to take another step, not even with his dad holding him. 

But these kids seem a little braver than that. Valiantly they press forward through the fog, past all the animatronic scares and dangling bats, until they’re close enough that Hux can get a proper look at them. His heart warms almost immediately, and he nearly _ awws _ out loud at the sight of a very young boy sporting a superhero costume and his slightly older sister dressed as a spunky little witch, complete with a broom and black cat plush that instantly draws Vader’s attention. Hux feels his long tail flick in curiosity against his shoulder.

“Trick-or-treat!” The kids chorus once they get close enough to the porch, holding out their little plastic pails already filled with a fairly respectable candy haul. Hux chuckles and sits forward in his rocking chair, one hand braced against his belly as he grabs the bowl of candy with the other. 

“My, my. Don’t you both look wonderful?” He gives them both a genuine smile, sprinkling a generous handful of candy into their buckets. In his mind, it’s fine to go a little heavy-handed—Kylo bought seven full-sized bags of candy, after all, and Hux doesn’t want any leftovers sitting around tempting him after the night’s over. 

“Are you the warlock?” The girl asks loudly once he deposits the last of the candy into her bucket, looking Hux’s fairly plain outfit up and down with skepticism. 

“Just his helper,” Hux says with a secretive smile, pressing a finger to his lips as he nods behind him, “he’s a little busy in the backyard, but if you dare…”

The girl shakes her head so profusely her witch hair nearly spins off her mop of curly hair, before grabbing her little brother’s hand and scampering away. 

The kids’ father comes up behind them once they dash down the walkway to peer at which candies Hux had given them. He smiles politely at the man—dressed up in what looks like a store-bought scarecrow costume—but inside, he’s confused. Hux will admit that he doesn’t fully understand Halloween traditions beyond what Kylo has patiently explained to him, but as far as he knows the parents don’t usually ask for their own candy. He’s about to say something, but then he notices the little baby cradled in the father’s arms, dressed up in a lumpy little pumpkin costume, complete with an adorable cap decorated with a curly green stem. 

“He’s a little young to say trick-or-treat himself,” the father explains, adjusting the baby against his chest, “a little tuckered out too, but we wanted to hit up this house before turning in. It’s sort of a tradition to end the night with the Warlock’s House.”

“Oh! Of course!” Hux nods, grabbing some gummy candies from the bowl and dropping them into the tiny bucket the father holds out for him. “Hope it wasn’t too scary for him, my boyf—_ husband,_” he corrects, turning the ring on his finger, “really likes to go all out.” 

The baby lets out a tiny burble when the father shows him the candy, before looking at Hux with a sleepy smile that goes right to his heart. 

“Nah, he’s a little champ. Kids love Halloween. Say bye, okay?” The father gently lifts the baby’s arm, making him wave goodbye at Hux, a gesture he returns with a lot more eagerness than he thought he could muster. He feels a bit giddy as he watches the family leave, both of his hands come to rest on his belly to rub softly where he’d last felt his own baby kick. 

Briefly, he wonders what his coworkers at the firm would think of him now, if they saw him cooing over children in costume and snacking on candy corn like he had an addiction. He’d already gotten a bit of a side-eye from Phasma when he told her he was taking Halloween off—he usually hated staying home, even on federal holidays—but it’s an important day for Kylo, and Hux wants to be around for the celebration. 

Hux smile widens when he finally feels a soft nudge against his fingers. He cranes his neck to look at his belly, the printed jack-o’-lantern grinning back up at him.

“There you are, dearest. Are you having fun tonight?” Hux murmurs as he rubs the spot with more pressure, encouraging his baby to move around for a little longer this time. Feeling them move helps lessen his anxiety lately, which is a welcome change from before. At first, the squirmy, fluttery sensation had been odd and a little unsettling, almost _ alien _ to experience for himself, but over the weeks Hux had grown used to it. Now, he looks forward to the moments when his baby decides to try to stretch their legs. 

They’re only six months along but already so active. Though they’re hardly ready to welcome a baby, what with the nursery only half-painted and Hux still working five days a week, but he almost wishes they had been born before October, just so he could’ve seen Kylo dote on them while his favorite time of the year was in full swing. Not that the January due date has discouraged Kylo too much from involving the baby in their Halloween festivities. Several times this month he had come home with shopping bags filled to bursting with all kinds of clothes and accessories, most of them designed with decidedly “spooky” motifs in mind. They have so many of these clothes now, that Hux has already decided to just let Kylo dress the baby however he likes once they’re born. While it might look a little odd for a newborn to wear bat-patterned onesies in the middle of March, it’s really no odder than how Kylo dresses on the regular—with his long black cloaks, pewter jewelry, and dark eye makeup. 

Hux smirks to himself, palming over his belly as his baby settles back down. At this rate, he’s going to wind up the odd man out. Maybe he can borrow one of Kylo’s old metal T-shirts to better blend in with the family. Hux knows he won’t mind—Kylo _ really _ liked it the one time Hux had tried on some of his more tame gothic attire out of curiosity. 

After handing out candy for another half hour there’s a bit of a lull in trick-or-treaters, so Hux takes the time to relax and daydream, taking the occasional sip of his cider as he strokes his belly. He keeps coming back to the infant in the pumpkin costume, no more than a few months old yet already out and about trick-or-treating with their family. Hux smiles fondly as his baby shifts in his belly, visibly stretching the material of his pumpkin sweater. By this time next year, Hux will be able to do the same with his little one. Dress them up in a little costume, and take them out on Halloween night. At nine months old—should they come on or near their due date—maybe they could even toddle around and carry their own little pail, gum on soft candies with their little nubby teeth and squeal in delight at all the colorful decorations. Of course, Hux would be there to supervise—maybe even Kylo, too, if he agreed to leave the haunted backyard to the rest of his friends for once. 

Behind him, the custom playlist switches over from _Toccata and Fugue in D Minor_ to _Tubular Bells_. Hux rocks slightly in his chair, enjoying the tinny, eerie music and the slight breeze that whirls through the fog filling the porch. The night feels neither too cold nor too warm, precluding the need to cover up while still casting the occasional patch of goosebumps over any skin exposed to the elements. It’s the type of weather Kylo has spoken about at length to him—brimming with liminal energy, and absolutely _ perfect _ for Halloween night, when the barriers between the spiritual and physical worlds are at their thinnest, their most attenuated. Not that Hux believes in such things, but he likes listening to the way Kylo talks about them, the conviction and reverence making his low voice all the more rich and soothing. 

Hux hums, his eyes falling half-closed. Even though there’s no alcohol in the cider, the bubbles and sugar have him feeling a little sleepy. After a few minutes, he’s relaxed so much into the gentle movements of his rocking chair that he doesn’t notice the clump of footsteps echoing through the house until a pair of hands clamp down on his shoulders. Hux gasps, shooting up in shock and whirling his head around, suddenly afraid that he’d allowed an intruder into the house when he’d nodded off.

But all he sees looking back at him is Kylo—or pardon, _ the Warlock_—with a bright grin on his face despite his wickedly fanged veneers and a mischievous glint in his red-slitted eyes. 

“Got you.” He lets out a breathy laugh, shaking the tattered black cowl off his head as he crouches down to Hux’s level. Vader, moving for the first time in hours, hops up onto Kylo’s shoulder and begins to lick his paw. 

Quickly transforming his shock into a disapproving frown, Hux puts a hand against his chest and takes a deep breath. “You _ bastard_. You scared the daylights out of me.” 

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist, you were sitting there so peacefully. So utterly unaware. _ Teeeempting_.” Kylo elongates the word into a low hiss, pierced tongue flicking between his teeth. The slight lisp from the veneers undercuts the sinister tone he’s going for, but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

He leaves one hand resting against Hux’s opposite shoulder, the other braced against the arm of the rocking chair as he leans in closer. His face is streaked with black and white greasepaint to create the appearance of a ghoulish skull, the glistening fake blood daubed on his lips and chin capping off the whole horrifying visage. But beneath it all, Hux can still trace the familiar lines and contours of his husband’s face despite the thick makeup, down to the raised patterns of moles Hux finds so charming. But there’s nothing charming about Kylo sneaking up on him, especially while looking like _ that_. 

“So you decided to scare me? Rude.” Hux gestures to where his belly sits in his lap. “That’s no way to treat your _ pregnant _husband.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Kylo nods seriously. “Lemme fix my mistake…” He closes his eyes and puckers his lips around the veneers, making him look like he has his mouth already stuffed full of leftover candy. 

Hux scowls, scooting to the opposite side of his chair when Kylo goes in for a kiss. “Quit it! You’ll ruin your makeup, and make a mess of my face while you’re at it.” Hux reared back and put a warning palm against Kylo’s chest, dodging another attempt to smear fake blood and black lipstick all over his skin. 

Kylo opens his eyes and snorts, not budging an inch. “It’s Halloween. People are just gonna think it's part of your costume.”

“And what is my costume exactly?” Hux crosses his arms as Kylo gives up trying to kiss him for now, and instead helps himself to a generous sip of cider. “The Warlock’s Helper? The Keeper of the Pumpkins?” He inclines his head towards the mountains of jack-o’-lanterns crowding the patio. There are tens of them in several different sizes, all but a couple painstakingly carved by Kylo over the past day and a half. Hux thinks the crude faces he’d made are easy to spot when placed alongside those transformed by his husband’s skillful hands, but no one has commented on his clumsy carvings thus far. 

“I think that’s obvious. You’re the Warlock’s _ Husband_,” Kylo’s eyes drift over Hux, setting down the cider to rest a palm on his belly, “and the mother of his dark spawn.”

Hux rolls his eyes and puts his hand atop Kylo’s. “Call me ‘mother’ one more time, I dare you,” he warns, the black nails that Kylo had painted on him earlier in the day lightly digging into his knuckles. Kylo doesn’t even wince. 

“Alright, alright. How about ‘bearer’? Nice and gender-neutral. In fact, I might like that one a little better.” Unfazed by Hux’s nails, even as they flick the chunky ring on his finger, Kylo rubs his belly a little more vigorously, getting their baby to wiggle in apparent agreement. “The Warlock’s Husband, Bearer of his Dark Spawn, Guardian of the Candy Cauldron—”

Hux sticks an unwrapped Snickers bar between Kylo’s bloodied lips, quieting him. Rather than act offended, Kylo lets out a hum of satisfaction as he snaps up the candy, cracking the chocolate coating with his fancy veneers. But instead of eating it, he keeps the other end sticking out of his mouth, eyes suggestive. Hux tries to look exasperated once he picks up on Kylo’s game, but a smile finds its way across his face regardless. 

“This is the only kiss you’re getting until you wash that mess off,” he murmurs before leaning in and latching onto the free end of the candy. Eyes locked, they both nibble inwards until their lips barely brush up against one another, at which point Hux tugs the remains of the candy away from Kylo and swallows it down with a smug grin. Kylo pouts, clearly wanting either more candy or a longer kiss, possibly both. 

“Greedy. Aren’t you supposed to be eating healthy snacks only?”

“And aren’t you supposed to be scaring teenagers in the backyard?” Hux licks a crumb of chocolate off his lips and waves his husband off. “They came to see the Warlock, don’t you go letting them down. Put on your show!”

For a moment, Kylo looks like he wants to help Hux lick off the rest of the chocolate, but he seemingly relents. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to pop in for a break and check on the two of you.” Kylo looks up when he hears the animatronics in the front yard go off, filling the air with garbled zombie sound effects followed by the startled squeals of a couple of kids. “Looks like you got company, though, so I’ll head back before I traumatize anyone.”

Before Hux can stop him, Kylo leans in one last time and smears a bloody kiss across his cheek, rucking up the sweater on Hux’s belly with a firm rub before he’s off—jogging through the house with Vader hot on his heels and vanishing into the darkness of the backyard like a shadow. Hux can’t help but let out a stunned laugh as he watches him go, shaking his head as he settles back into his chair. He touches the sticky mess on his cheek, rubbing the fake blood between his fingers as another family braves the fog-filled path. 

Well then. With a bloody kiss mark on his cheek, there won’t be any doubt that he’s dressed up as the Warlock’s Husband now. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of Halloween-related headcanons for these two, but probably not enough time to write them all out before the month ends. So I hope this little drabble was cute enough for you guys. Let me know if you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](http://thethespacecoyote.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/heir_of_breath7/).


End file.
